Oct 16, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is definitely the most powerful smartphone ever launched by the South Korean company, but is it powerful enough to compete with Google’s latest Nexus 6 handset?

Manufactured by Motorola, the Nexus 6 hasn’t been released on the market yet, but most of the phone’s specs have already been confirmed by the US-based company. This is a great opportunity for Android fans to make up their mind and opt for one or the other. Keep in mind though that each of these flagship smartphones comes with unique features that might or might not suit everyone’s needs.

Each comes with unique features, such as wireless charging and S Pen stylus

One such unique feature is the S Pen stylus that comes with Samsung Galaxy Note 4. On the other hand, the Nexus 6 supports wireless charging, whereas Samsung’s phablet does not. Let’s also not forget that Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a fingerprint sensor and the Nexus 6 features dual stereo speakers in the front. So, it’s each and everyone’s choice whether they want to take advantage of some of the unique features included in the Galaxy Note 4 or Nexus 6. We can only put the two giants’ specs head-to-head for everyone to weigh in which of the phablets would make a better purchase. We’re going to start with size, because when it comes to phablets, it’s important to know how big they are so you know if you will be able to carry them in your front pocket or use them with one hand.

Moving on to hardware, both phablets are equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805 chipset, which accommodates a 2.7GHz quad-core processor, an Adreno 420 graphics processing unit, and 3GB of RAM. Although they are packed with 32GB of internal memory, the major difference would be the fact that Nexus 6 lacks microSD card slot for memory expansion, while Galaxy Note 4 has one that allows users to further expand storage up to128GB. On the back, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 boasts an enhanced 16-megapixel photo snapper with optical image stabilization, LED flash, autofocus, and 4K video recording. On the other hand, Nexus 6 has a 13-megapixel main camera with OIS, dual-LED flash, autofocus, and 4K video recording.

Given the fact that the number of megapixels doesn’t really count when it comes to camera phones, it remains to be seen how good the pictures captured with these smartphones are the moment they get released on the market. One thing we can confirm though is that Galaxy Note 4 has a better, 3.7-megapixel front-facing camera, which is good enough for taking decent selfies. We can’t say the same thing about the Nexus 6, which packs a 2-megapixel camera in the front. Strangely enough, both smartphones are powered by 3220 mAh batteries, but Nexus 6’s is non-removable and offers 330 hours of standby time or up to 24 hours of use. Samsung has yet to confirm the Galaxy Note 4’s battery standby and talk time numbers.

The Nexus 6 is the first smartphone to come with Android 5.0 Lollipop onboard

When it comes to software, the differences are even bigger, as Nexus 6 offers a clean, stock Android experience, while Galaxy Note 4 runs Samsung’s TouchWiz UX. But that’s not all, as Nexus 6 will be the first smartphone to ship with Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system out of the box, while the Galaxy Note 4 is powered by Android 4.4.4 KitKat and is likely to remain on this version for a few months at least. After putting these giants head-to-head, which one do you think is more powerful? Or which one do you think would better fit your needs? Let us know in the comments.